Albeni Falls Dam spillway operations changing after defect found

PRIEST RIVER — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced Thursday that the Albeni Falls Dam spillways will be modified after metal defects were detected on one of the gates.

The Corps discovered the defect during routine inspection and rehabilitation of the gate, which could cause unsafe conditions for dam workers as well as the public.

“Public safety is our top priority,” said Amanda Smith, Albeni Falls Dam operating project manager. “Though only one gate showed signs of defect during inspection, we are taking a conservative approach and are modifying operations until we have fully assessed the integrity of all gates.”

Since the dam’s spillway gates were fabricated at the same time with the same steel type as the defective one — during the same year the dam was constructed in 1955 — USACE is inspecting the remaining 10 gates to determine if similar defects exist.

Modified spillway operations will continue until further investigation and analysis is completed, said USACE public affairs specialist Scott Lawrence.

“We need to understand the risk we are facing,” Smith continued. “We do not want to find ourselves in a place where a gate is compromised, which would impact our ability to manage lake levels and could increase flows downstream by approximately 15,000 cubic feet per second.” 

Lake Pend Oreille will remain at current elevations for the next week or two as refill options are evaluated. Lawrence said the lake refill is likely to be delayed due to spill gate movement restrictions and the need to maximize benefits from available storage.

“We understand the importance of Lake Pend Oreille to the community and lake users, but we must take these steps today to ensure we are operating in a safe and reliable manner,” Smith said.